Mad Men Discussion: Trudy Campbell Will Destroy You

So how do we feel about last night’s Jon Hamm-directed Mad Men? Like I was after last week’s episode, I’m torn. I was unimpressed — and frankly kind of bored — with the episode as I watched it, but am appreciating it more the longer it marinates in my head. Specifically, I feel like I might have reached a philandering tipping point with the show. Ad guys tom-catting around behind their wives’ backs just doesn’t hold the same appeal for me that it once did. It feels kind of soap opera-y. Personally, I’m much more interested in Peggy potentially betraying Don by tipping her boss to the trouble with the Heinz account.

Anyway, let’s dive right in, shall we…

– Pete and Trudy both openly flirting with neighbors in their home sure effectively foreshadowed what we found out later: that their marriage is an empty vessel, a business relationship of sorts, and that both need to go outside the relationship to find thrills.

– Was the cut between Don’s childhood growing up in a whorehouse and Don appearing to pay Dr. Rosen’s wife for sex some sort of weird psycho-sexual implication that Don views her as a whore?

– Yes, I’m growing tired of the cheating storylines, but Don Draper’s “oh f*ck” face when he walked in on Megan and Sylvia talking in his living room was absolutely priceless, probably one of my favorite things ever on the show.

– I did enjoy the contrast between Don and Pete both f*cking their neighbors’ wives, with Pete’s affair blowing up in his face while Don always appears cooly in control of his while his wife is completely oblivious. Don wins and Pete loses, forever. I’m convinced this will end with Don banging Trudy on Pete’s desk right in front of him, the ultimate “F*ck you, Pete!” from both of him, a big, fat Don/Trudy dagger inserted directly into Pete’s black heart.

– There’s some serious irony in Don’s “you gotta dance with the one that brung ya” loyalty stance in his work life while practicing anything but in his private life.

– I don’t know about you, but every Timmy from ketchup I’ve ever met has been a swarmy little prick.

– “This is how it’s going to work. You will be here only when I tell you to be here. I’m drawing a 50 mile radius around this house and if you so much as open your fly to urinate I will destroy you.” — Trudy Campbell

– It was refreshing to finally see some depth from Alison Brie’s Trudy character last night. Previously, she had always just kind of struck me as a set piece — someone who was just there. I think Joe Biden’s wife speaks for all of us here…

– I really enjoyed the symbolic imagery of Trudy turning out the light on Pete after she returned from bringing that bloody broad to a hotel. It certainly pointed to her kicking him to the curb the next morning.

– Herb: “C’mon… I know there’s a part of you that’s glad to see me.” Joan: “And I know there’s a part of you you haven’t seen in years.”

– On the flip side, I think it’d be hilarious if it’s later revealed that Dr. Rosen doesn’t give a fuck and all these emergency calls he gets aren’t medical emergencies but his own mistress sending out a bat signal for him to come bang her.

– Is it just me or is there a condom and a packet of birth control pills in Peggy’s desk drawer?

– Someone I follow on Twitter, and I can’t remember who, noted last night that the previews of coming Mad Men episodes are like Vine videos. They really are.

– “You want to feel shitty, right up until the point where I take your dress off. Because I’m going to do that. You want to skip dinner, fine, but don’t pretend.” — Don Draper, laying down the law before he lays down the wood.

– Not sure if I’ve ever heard the early version of “Just A Gigolo” that played during the closing credits. The campy David Lee Roth version had previously been my only experience with the song, as far as I recall.

– More of Joan pwning people in her new role as an executive, PLEEZE!

– Needed more Roger Sterling.

– Finally, Sunday nights are truly great nights for TV again, what with Mad Men, Game of Thrones and Veep all running. It was truly exciting to sit down to watch them all last night.

Mad Men Discussion: Trudy Campbell Will Destroy You

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Definitely loved Trudy in this episode. I get the feeling that she’s just been building to this over the last couple seasons — she always had it in her but she never needed to show it until now. I also hate that Pete somehow has such appeal that women are spreading their legs for him left and right. I don’t know — I don’t buy it. I’ve always been annoyed by how women constantly throw themselves at Don but it at least makes a little more sense than Pete. He just doesn’t have that same quality.

Lots of good bullet points Cajun, although I was surprised there was no mention of Don slumping to the floor in the last scene. Is he starting to break down emotionally ? Is his love for Megan actually giving him a conscience ? Or is this an early sign of an impending heart failure as a result of his hard-drinking, heavy-smoking lifestyle that the good doctor keeps warning about ? More foreshadowing of Draper’s early demise ?

am i the only one that thought megan being sick along with dr having to take a call meant that they were both sleeping together.
i thought that was the theme of the episode and i would like to see that megan creeps around too in between her “acting” gigs

I honestly thought Dr. Rosen was leaving the New Year’s party in last week’s episode to go to a ski trip with his mistress. Then I realized, oh shit, he actually has to ski to the hospital. That sucks. But I would find it humorous if he was cheating on his wife all along, but kind of a cop out.

Joan ripping Herb a new one was so satisfying. I was literally cheering after Trudy said the “I will destroy you” line. Alison Brie for all the awards. I’m really enjoying Peggy and Stan’s after work chats as well.

I really don’t understand why everyone thought that Trudy was some passive character in her own life. She has ALWAYS been the one ruling the roost and it was because of her that Pete has become as successful as he has. Whenever some thing big has been going on with Pete she is always right there whispering good ideas in his ear. Plus he’s very prone to self doubt and melancholy and she’s the one who’s been there building him up. She goes out of her way to make his life easier and get him what he wants and if she wanted to, she really could DESTROY his life. Trudy Campbell can be the best friend you ever had or your worst enemy. If I were Pete I’d watch out.

Thank you. She was the one who really got him to end up leaving to SCDP. I was glad that they revealed that she “knew” that he had been cheating on her, even if I hate that she stayed with him. Stupid 60s view on divorce.

I’ve been on board with your Trudy/Don thing since last season and I definitely think they had an interesting parallel with both Trudy and Don being all “this is what’s gonna happen, I wear the pants here” to their counterparts.

Here’s the thing with Don, he’s incredibly attracted and drawn to independent and powerful women. He LIKES being bossed around…for a little bit. But the other side of him needs someone who is completely dependent on him and makes him the center of their world. This is why he’s already over Megan, she is following her ambition and succeeding and so he’s already moving onto new things.

I would be surprised if Don and Trudy happened just like Don and Joan. There’s so much chemistry there that the show displays restraint. Kinda like how Justified has started limiting the Boyd/Raylan scenes. They know what they have in each, but they can’t just give us what we want. Either would be awesome, but season 4 built up to Don and the good doctor ending up together and we got Megan instead. So while I hope to see Don share more scenes with them, I’m not holding my breath

anything Draper related doesnt feel fresh. Just the idea of more backstory to Don with another flashback, come on. I mean who’s had more backstory than him? The Campbells havent even been featured in years, it feels like

I’m with you. The backstory is just annoying. We get it, he is the son of a whore and grew up around whores. Didn’t we already know that? He said so when they were at the whorehouse in the city with the Jaguar guys. Enough already….

Draper laying down the law was amazing. Don went soft last season trying to be a family man, and seeing him return to his disgusting roots where he’s talking panties off is a blast. Repetitive, maybe, but a blast.

I also sensed more of the “suicidal thoughts” theme from the premier as Draper slunk against the wall at the end, clearly depressed and not ready to do a thing about it. Maybe they’ll close this season with Draper falling out the window and Notorious BIG playing? “I’m a piece of shit it ain’t hard to fucking tell …”

I can see why there’s a lot of frustration (I’ve read about this on other sites as well) about the cheating storyline. However, I don’t think the point of it is “look at that Don, cheating again” but rather aimed towards more introspection. I can’t remember the show being that introspective when it came to Don’s philandering. Also, I think it freaks him out that he can just turn it on and turn it off at any point; “it” being the killer instinct that he shows. Also, Don might be the best person at giving payback. Between the stair punishment with Roger and his torpedo of Herb’s idea, he’s got a way about him.

Agree 100%, Marco. In the first couple of seasons, it was presented more as “oh, Don is such a cad.” Then it got darker when he was single and alienated (anyone remember him asking the prostitute to slap him?), and now it’s being presented with a much darker, more disturbing introspection — Don’s own realization that he is doomed.

It’s weird how Pete always gets comeuppance for his actions whether good or bad unlike any other character. He’s so in tune with karmic balance I think he maybe the real reincarnation of the Dalai Lama

It’s because he’s a dumbass who never thinks anything through. Funny that whenever he does something by himself he fucks it up but when Trudy is telling him what to do everything seems to turn out okay…

That could be part of his issue. He was an akward teen, in addition to living with his prostitute mom in the brothel. But he grew up an became a swan. No wonder he always looks great, no matter how many times he has to get undressed during a typical work day.

I know people were putting money down on who was going to punch Pete in the face this year. The odds have dramatically changed after last night. Anyone who put Trudy down at 150-1 stands to make a killing. What did she see in him in the first place? I also think it’s funny how crappy Pete is at cheating, while Don is pretty damn successful.

When you are as good looking as Don, you don’t put up with any sass from a cranky woman. You just tell her she is going to get naked and she does it because she wants to. He’s like the General Patton of taking ladies to bed. Insane.

Eh, look at their husbands. Older, fatter, boring-er. Pete no doubt plays the Madison Avenue Ad Exec card with all the neighbors. He’s no Don Draper, but compared to the other guys in the neighborhood he probably looks pretty exciting.

Don’s mom died in childbirth and his dad died when kicked by the horse. That was his dad’s wife who he was with at the whorehouse. Season 3 explained it quite well that his mom, a teenaged whore, died birthing him and then he showed up to his dad and his home a few days later. So Adam was really the only family Don has ever had since he was 8 or so. That’s what made Adam’s death so much more a betrayal in hindsight.

Yea I knew the second that Megan brought up the miscarriage and she rebuffed the idea of an abortion that she was going to have that same decision before the season was up- it will be interesting to see how it plays out- but my early guess is that she is not in the last season of the show

To quote one of my favriot rappers in the song Yelllow Lines:
“She said it sounds tempting, and I don’t want to catch feelings, but this urge is calling me bad. I said well suga, if ya worried bout catching feelings, chances are you already have”

don’t forget the new bourdain show! that was great as well…and gave me something to watch at 9pm since i’m not a GoT fans. Plus, its good to have Veep in the DVR after Mad Men to end on lighter, less depressing note, where you don’t hate most characters.

I don’t have time to add Bourdain’s show to my schedule. I have The Amazing Race and Bob’s Burgers and The Borgias on Sundays as well. I wish CNN would have found another night for the show. It re-airs on the weekends at 2 AM or some odd time like that.